1995 Dodge Intrepid Reviews - Page 8 of 16

1995 Dodge Intrepid Base 3.3 from North America

Summary:

A little bit of tinkering and a lot of power

Faults:

Hmm, the car's A/C doesn't work went to get it fixed and they quoted 500 slaps-in-the-face, so now I role the windows down. It rattles a little, and the electrical system is held together by spit and rubber bands (evidence of complete electrical melt down) but all in all it's a great can and has served me well.

General Comments:

I like this car cost almost nothing to buy, and minimal repairs. Little things like to go like knobs breaking off and trim popping off, all cosmetic. But the performance is great, heard horror stories about the trannys I believe mine has been replaced and a heavy duty cooler installed (it is bigger then the radiator). despite my biching it is a great car and repairs have been relatively cheap most of it I have done my self. I guess this one has to be owned by someone that doesn't mind tinkering with stupid things.

15th Nov 2004, 15:47

Have you tried having your alignment checked? Here's a test. When driving down the road, let go of the wheel. Does it pull to one side or the other? My guess is that it does. All signs point to your alignment. Get it fixed! This can lead to wearing on your brake drums and it really kills the mileage that you get on the car.

1995 Dodge Intrepid ES 3.5 MFI from North America

Summary:

Faults:

I had a severe overheating problem due to both cooling fans failing.

Front end suspension had to be re-done at 65000 miles.

Occasionally the car will die in traffic for no apparent reason.

I have run out of gas because the fuel light, after lighting up once, has never come on again. The fuel gauge reads about 1/8 full, but no light, then the car dies. I've learned to never take a chance, and to carry an empty gas can just incase I have a long walk.

At about 82000 miles the catalytic converter failed. I had it replaced by Midas, and then took the car in to the dealer to find out cause of failure (the Midas guys said that converters don't just fail). The Dodge dealership service department told me I didn't need to have the car checked. About 3 months later, the converter failed again; fortunately, Midas replaced it free, and this time I forced Dodge to check my car, but they found no problems.

The ears on the headlight assemblies are broken and the lenses tend to get cloudy (using polishing compound works fine).

The passenger airbag cover is distorted, just like all Intrepids I've ever seen.

The paint is fading badly, typical of Dodge/Chrysler products.

The glossy black plastic inserts on the rear panels both have lost their clearcoat, again typical of the manufacturer.

The timing belt jumped 180 degrees, so that only half the engine wold run, so it was replaced at 90000 miles.

The latest failure is the water pump; normally, I'd do the job myself, but the pump is located behind the timing cover, and is run by the timing belt. The poor design requires a lot of parts removal, and without sufficient time, I'm better off letting a trusted mechanic do it.

General Comments:

The car handles quite well.

The ride is tight, and the car does not wallow when driven hard.

It is a beautiful car, Orchid over a Charcoal Gray.

The seats (both 6-way power, is this rare?) are quite comfortable, although the driver's side lumbar support lever broke. No matter, the seats are still great. One caveat: the headrests ought to be cocked forward to actually support the back of your head.

The car is great for long trips. It is roomy enough for five and the back seat can handle 6 footers easily.